College Students Are Taking Mental Health Into Their Hands

​college students are forming mental health clubs. Their goal is to improve access to health care while also addressing the culture that prevents students from seeking help.

New research shows that their efforts have made a difference.

Active Minds is a student run group that was founded in 2003 at the University of Pennsylvania. The group now has a presence at 600 campuses around the country. A new study of 12 Active Minds groups across California, determined that their efforts is working. The group is also active at community colleges, who have fewer resources to help their students. Not only do the groups help lower the stigma surrounding mental health, but they also teach the students how to help one another in the event there was a crisis.

“The peer relationship really makes a big difference,” said Lisa Adams, president of the American College Counseling Association. “The group atmosphere of learning while doing things together — it really meets them where they are because they care about their peers.”

Source: Washington post